Thursday, October 06, 2005

Mailbag: electric shavers vs blades

I just re-started shaving my head again. I use a gillete sensor on my head every other morning. The sensor is nice but I get tired of putting shave cream all over my head and going over it with a razor. I am now thinking about getting an electric razor. My question to you is do electric shavers work well on the head? How do they compare to a standard blade w/ shaving cream?
The only electric razor I've used on my scalp is a small travel shaver that I use every once in a while when I don't feel like doing a full wet shave. With that razor, I don't get a terribly good shave, but it does smooth things out in many areas and give me another day before I feel the need to shave again.

I haven't used any of the better electric shavers on my scalp, so I can't comment on them directly. I have gotten feedback from others, though, and the impression I get is that you can get a decent shave with an electric, but it won't be as close and smooth as you get with a full wet shave.

In particular, electrics seem to have a problem getting close in areas where the scalp surface isn't entirely even. The face is generally malleable and bends with the razor, but the scalp doesn't have the same amount of soft tissue underneath; as a result, it's much easier to miss some spots.

Still, the comments I've received from people who use electrics are generally positive. It's not as close as a blade, generally speaking, but it's enough for many people.